Beautiful Insight
by Magdelope
Summary: A blind Elissa Cousland and her brother Aedan are the only ones to survive the vicious attack on their home. While Aedan and Duncan go on to Ostagar, Elissa is abducted by slavers – this eventually brings her onto the Siren's call and into the world of pirates. A bit AU, femslash - Isabela/femCousland.
1. Chapter 1

**Don't worry, I haven't forgotten my other stories, but I had to write this down. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. Bla bla, I don't own the characters or the setting.**

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It was a story Elissa had heard more than a thousand times. It was the first story she had heard as a child and when she died it would likely be the last words on her lips. It was the story of the noble Cousland family. She was a child of Cousland, the royal blood of the Highever nobles was running through her veins. Her father and grandfather had fought in the Orlesian wars and won, her brother Fergus was a skilled warrior and had already brought honour on their house by marrying the lovely, Oriana and fathering a son. Elissa's twinbrother, Aedan, was likewise looking for a wife and had a promising future, fighting for the Cousland guard and carrying on the Cousland bloodline.

Elissa was worthless. She had been born blind, much smaller than Aedan and had spent her first years stuck in the nursery with her nursemaid. Nobody, not even the family physician had expected her to survive infanthood. But despite yearly colds, infections and stomach bugs Elissa had survived. Nobody could say that she had thrived, but she had reached adulthood. Indeed it hadn't been a happy youth or childhood, hidden away like a family secret. She was their shame, their black mark in the history books. Sometimes Elissa was sure that her mother wished she would have died when she was younger, that it would have been better if Elissa would have simply disappeared, leaving them with two healthy boys and a clean record. Elissa sometimes agree with her. There was no promising future waiting for her, no courtships, no career.

Her days were spent in her converted nursery, next to her parent's room, singing to herself or asking one of the servants to read to her. She had requested to learn handicrafts that she could do without her vision but her mother had refused, saying that it was above a lady of Cousland. To Elissa, life was a boring, protracted affair and she didn't know how many more years she could take. If she had had her vision, she would have perhaps dared to run away, building herself a life outside the protective, imprisoning castle walls. But the truth was, Elissa was scared. She was scared of the outside world and she couldn't imagine being in an environment that she didn't know the outline of.

…

Elissa was on her way to the kitchens when she heard Aedan's voice call out to her. For once she was walking without the help of a servant but was rather tracing the wall next to her, the path to the kitchen etched into her memory.

"Lissy," she heard her brother say, "father and Fergus are joining the king at Ostagar. They're leaving me in charge!" Without seeing his face, Elissa knew that he was bursting with pride. She found herself feeling happy for his sake even though she knew that being alone with him and their mother would be torture. Next to their mother, Aedan had always been her most enthusiastic tormentor.

"That's nice, brother," she said softly, "is father still in the main hall?" There was no answer.

"Are you nodding?" She asked eventually, after hearing Aedan's cruel laughter, Elissa shook her head and kept walking. She was used to it. When reaching the junction she turned to the right instead of the kitchens to the left. She wanted to talk with her father.

Teyrn Bryce Cousland had always had a soft spot for his daughter. He hadn't seen her sickliness, her blindness and her ability to keep up with the other children. He had nipped lovingly at her hay-colored hair, kissed the forehead between her unseeing blue eyes and had taught her the alphabet despite knowing that she would never read. He had made sure that she had gotten as much food and clothes as her brothers. Elissa knew that she was probably still alive thanks to her father. And she would miss him when he went away to war.

She kept tracing the wall and made her way smoothly towards the main hall. She knew when to turn, when to lift her feet higher and which cobble stones were loose. Very soon she found herself by the door of the main hall.

She pulled the heavy door open and walked right into a solid, armor-clad chest.

"I'm sorry, Ser," she said in panic, instinctively knowing that whoever it was that she had walking into was important.

"That's okay," a dark but warm voice answered, "you must be Elissa." He took her wrist and led her forward.

"Elissa," she heard her father's voice call out and she stepped forward to clasp his overly familiar hands. A scar over the left hand and on the right hand his little finger was missing.

"Father," she greeted and smiled in the direction of his voice.

"I see you've met Duncan, my pup," he said, and gently turned her around so that she was facing their guest.

"I'm honored to be a guest at your house," Duncan said, "even though I come during dire times."

"What is happening, father?" Elissa asked but Duncan was the one who answered.

"I don't know how much your parents have shielded you, sera," he said, "but darkspawn are gathering near Ostagar, we need all able men that are able to join us against the arch demon." He must have seen the worry that Elissa supposed she was showing on her face, because he quickly added. "I am sorry to cause you such alarm, sera, but it is good to be afraid. It is indeed very dangerous times and we need to be ready for things to get even darker before dawn comes."

…

It was a series of screams and cries that woke Elissa up the next night. She called out for her old nurse maid who still slept in her room but received no answer. She tried again. Nothing. She heard a shout from her brother Aedan's room.

"My lord! The castle is under attack!" _Under attack? _

Elissa burst into tears. She got up but tripped on her sandals, her fear making her clumsy.

"Mama," she called out in panic, "mama!" It didn't matter that the mother had never answered her call. Elissa felt like a little child again, scared of the invisible monsters she fought in her nightmares. This time the nightmare was real and no loving parent was there.

She stood up again, grateful that her wobbly knees seemed to still carry her. She had presence enough to get her robe and tie it around her body; she wasn't about to roam around the castle looking indecent.

She stepped out of her room, plastered against the stonewall. The hallway sounded empty but she walked slowly down it until she reached the bedroom of Fergus and his family. The door was open.

"Fergus?" Elissa called out as she took a few careful steps into the room, "Oriana? Ore…aaah!" She tripped over something solid and landed face forward into a puddle of a warm and sticky substance. She reached in the dark and found to her distress that she was laying on top of someone. She reached for the face. She gasped.

"Ori… Oriana?" Elissa gasped. She tried to roll over and get away from the body that had once been her sister-in-law but it only made her roll into a much smaller body.

"Please don't be Oren!" She groaned, tears trailing down her cheeks but a quick swipe with her hands over his familiar facial structure confirmed her worst fears. She sat up and pulled the body of her nephew in her arms.

"Oh Oren," she cried, "what did they do to you?" She could have stayed there on the floor hugging his body, but she heard quick steps in the hallway and threw Oren's body away and crawled to hide behind the trunk that Oriana had kept her books.

"What about the Teyrn?" she heard one of them said, Elissa recognizing the voice of one of the guards, "please tell me he's okay."

"He's badly hurt," another voice replied, "he was on his way to the kitchens I think. I sent young Aedan and the mistress there."

The steps disappeared before Elissa was able to call out and tell them that she was there. _Her father was alive. So was her mother and Aedan. _With her heart in her throat, the girl scrambled to her feet again and stepped out of the room. Her heart broke at the thought of leaving her beloved nephew and his mother on the floor but she had no choice. She carried on.

Thankfully her path was clear, her mother and brother had cleared it of people and despite falling over debris and dead soldiers she made her way to the kitchens relatively safely. When she had reached the kitchens she heard her mother's voice in the pantry.

"Andraste's breath," she heard her mother say, "what is happening? You're bleeding!"

"Father!" She heard her brother say as well.

"Eleanor," she heard her father's voice reply, he sounded hurt, "Aedan… those men just attacked. Where is everyone? Elissa? Fergus? Oren? Oriana?"

"They are all dead," her mom replied, "darling Oren! Everyone!" Elissa heard her mother reply as she made her to the pantry.

"I'm not dead," she said as she reached the room and went inside.

"Elissa!" Her dad exclaimed, he sounded happy.

"Papa," she said, swallowing her tears, trying to be brave, "papa, are you very hurt?"

"Don't worry about that, darling," he said even though she heard the pain in his voice, "come here, child." Elissa went forward and felt relieved when Aedan's hand grabbed hers and helped her to her knees. Her father took her hand and as soon as they touched Elissa let her tears fall.

"Father," she croaked, "has the world gone insane?"

"No, my child," he said and stroke her hair, "just our part of the world. The king has to hear about this." Every word sounded forced and it was clear that he was in a lot of pain.

"Once Howe's men break through the gates, they will find us and kill us!" Her mother said, "The servants' gate is right over there. We must flee together! Now."

Elissa winced, her father's grip on her hand almost painful.

"The castle is surrounded," he said, "I'll never make it."

"I'm afraid the teynr is right," a voice said, combined with the sound of a sward being sheathed. Elissa recognized the voice as being Duncan's, "they still don't know about this exit but they will find out soon and when they do the castle will truly be surrounded."

"We need to do something now!" Elissa heard her mother said.

"I am sorry, your ladyship," Duncan said, "your husband is badly hurt and we need to move fast."

"Eleanor," her dad said, "take our children and leave."

"Bryce," Elanor said, her voice thick with tears, "I can't leave you."

"Eleanor!"

"No, Bryce. It doesn't matter what you say. I'd rather die by your side than leave you."

"Please Duncan," her father's voice was pleading now, "save our children. Protect what is left of my family."

Everything turned black for Elissa. Pure, dark, panic.

"Please, papa," she whispered, "please don't make me leave." She couldn't hear what the others were saying but felt strong hands place themselves on her shoulders and pull her upwards. The last thing she would remember from that day was letting go of her father's hand and being cradled in strong warm arms that weren't her brother's. Then Elissa lost consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

When Elissa woke up the first thing she heard was the crackling of a fire. She sat up and felt the flames heating her face. Somebody had put her too close to the fire. She rolled to the cold side until she felt confident that she was far enough from the fire, then she tried standing up. She tried to remember what had happened, why she had been lying on the ground. Realization hit her like a punch to the gut.

The attack. Her home on fire. Her father dying. _Her father. _Elissa sank to her knees again, suddenly stricken by grief. She fought the sudden nausea that rolled over her in waves; she didn't want to throw up. Not hear, not now.

"Lissy!" She heard footsteps come closer, footsteps she recognized as Aedan's, they were followed by heavier and calmer steps that she wasn't familiar with, but when the second voice spoke she knew that it was Duncan.

"Elissa," he said, his voice strangely soothing, "are you all right?"

Elissa tried to answer but all that came out was cries, the poor girl was still in a state of panic.

"What should we do?" Aedan said, his voice almost shrill.

Heavy hands placed themselves on her shoulders again.

"Breathe," Duncan said, "in through your nose and out through your mouth."

Elissa tried to listen but felt her breath coming faster and faster. The more panicked she felt, the calmer Duncan seemed to become.

"Try to focus," he said, "count with me. Focus on my voice. One, two, three, four, five…" he kept counting, keeping his voice calm. The entire world shrank away until all Elissa could hear was the crackling of the fire and Duncan's tranquil counting. Her erratic breathing subsided and her heart calmed down. Tears kept falling down her cheeks but she no longer felt like crawling out of her own skin.

"Better?" Duncan asked when he had reached hundred. Elissa nodded. She steadied herself using his arms but let them go when she realized that she didn't actually know him.

"Thank you, ser," she whispered, "where are we?"

"We are near the city of Amaranthine," Duncan replied, "we are waiting for dawn. We need to figure out where to go from here. Me and Aedan are going to continue on to Ostagar, your brother will join the Grey wardens but…" He trailed off. It didn't matter. Elissa understood what he meant, anyway. _They couldn't bring a useless blind cripple to the front lines. _

"What are you going to do with me?"

There was no answer at first and Elissa imagined them looking at each other, wondering what to tell her.

"We have relations in Amaranthine," Aedan said suddenly, "mother's uncle and his wife lives there. Maybe they would take Lissy in?" Elissa couldn't help but wince. It hurt her that Aedan was talking about her like she wasn't there but it hurt her even more that he was willing to just send her off to live with her mother's strange and poor relatives.

"What do you say, Elissa?" Duncan asked suddenly.

"Whatever you think is best, ser, "she said, dejected. She had given up. She didn't care what happened to her anymore. She just wanted the nightmare to end. She wanted to wake up in her own bed, have breakfast in the main hall with her father and mother and then spend her day hearing one of her favourite stories.

"You don't care what happens to you?" Duncan asked, his voice lighter, as if surprised or shocked.

Elissa didn't answer.

"Can I sleep, ser?" She asked instead, "I am very tired and if we're not about to continue our journey right now it would be nice to sleep some more."

"Of course," Duncan replied and Elissa felt Aedan's hands on hers, guiding her to the pile of cloths she had woken up on a while ago. She pulled them a bit further away from the fire and then lie down. She didn't sleep for the rest of the night; instead she was just lying still, listening to the quiet breathing of Duncan, Aedan's faint snoring and the soothing crackling of the fire.

…

It was a cold breeze and the screaming of gulls that woke Elissa up. She could tell it was lighter and she moved her head around trying to listen for any sound or movement.

"God morning, Lissy."

She sighed in relief when she heard her brother's voice; the only familiar voice in her life right now.

"Good morning, brother," she said and held out her hand, smiling at the sound of his steps, his hand grasped hers and he pulled her up. She immediately folder her arms around his elbow and together they walked.

"Where are we?" She whispered, "I mean, I know we're close to Amaranthine but…"

"We're on a cliff," Aedan interrupted her; "the sea is forward, a forest is behind us. Duncan is sitting closer to the edge of the cliff, looking at the sea. Amaranthine is just an hour to the east, and behind the trees, although you can't see it from here, there is the main road that will take us there. Later. When we're going. The sun is shining, sister, there are a few clouds but it's mainly a beautiful day."

Elissa smiled. As annoying and disturbing as her brother could be there existed moments when he understood exactly what she needed.

"There is a boat on the sea," Aedan continued, "and there are flowers growing in the grass."

"What kind of flowers?" Elissa asked. She knew the shape of some flowers, the smell of others, but mainly she just liked the names.

"They're Easter lilies," Aedan said, "and they're so beautifully yellow. I think you would like them."

Elissa held his arm tighter, wanting to hug him closer. She wanted to cry, beg him not to go to war. Part of her wasn't thinking clearly from the shock but the very present part of her realized that if he went to war she might never see him again.

"Ah, you are awake," he said, alerting Elissa to the fact that they had arrived at the place he was sitting.

"Thank you for letting me sleep, ser," she said, remembering her manners.

"That's quite alright," the man said and Elissa smiled in the direction of his voice.

"Well," Aedan said, letting go of Elissa's arm, "so, what do we do now?" He's voice was hesitant.

"We should move swiftly," Duncan said, "we need to get to Ostagar as soon as possible, not to mention…" he turned quiet.

"Duncan, what…" Aedan started, his voice shrill and scared but he didn't finish his sentence. Elissa guessed that Duncan had asked him to be silent with a gesture. The girl stayed quiet, she was itching to ask what was going on but knew better. It was silent; all that could be heard was the trees moving and the sea down below.

Then everything happened in the same time. There was the war cry from a voice that Elissa didn't recognize, and then there was clashing of weapons in all directions. There were too many sounds for Elissa to realize which direction was best. She started running to the left, hoping to get away from the fighting. She didn't worry, both Duncan and her brother were both able sword fighters, but she didn't like the chaos.

She heard the sound of a sword cutting through the air close to her head and took a surprised jump forward. Instead of landing on more grass, she kept pulsing through the air with a terrible speed. She had accidently stepped over the cliff and was heading straight for the water.

She let out on terrified scream and then she hit the surface, front first, hurting her wrist and then all air knocked out of her. For a few moments she didn't know what was up and what was down, she tried to inhale and panicked when her lungs filled with water.

_Maker! Help me, I'm dying_, she thought, waving her arms and legs, trying to move. She kicked violently; she didn't want to die. Her lungs were burning, aching and she screamed but no sound came out.

Suddenly a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her upwards. She sobbed with relief when she was again above surface. At first she hardly felt herself being pulled over the reeling of a dingy, she could only feel delicious oxygen going in and out of her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Just a couple of thoughts. This is an AU, so it's not strictly canon, saying that, I've gone a bit with the canon from the DA-books. Meaning, Isabela doesn't like slaves but needs to deal with them to settle a deabt.**

**With that out of the way, enjoy! :)**

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**Chapter 3**

"Thank the maker, thank the maker, thank you sweet Andraste, thank you, thank you…" a rude voice interrupted Elissa's constant litany of thanks.

"Don't thank them yet."

Two cold hands crudely went up and down her arms and over her chest.

"Mmm, she feels good," another voice said, causing goosebumps to form on her already cool skin.

"Please, ser," she said, "please, can you take me ashore? My brother will reward you for saving me." It was a lie, their fortune was gone but her captors didn't know that.

All she was met with were the sounds of several laughing voices, in her distressed state it sounded like almost twenty men.

"Please," she said weakly, "please…" they didn't answer her. Instead a rugged blanket landed on her lap and she felt the boat started moving. The men started singing a tune that Elissa didn't recognize and she took the blanket and wrapped it around her drenched form. She debated to herself whether to jump out of the boat, but decided that the safest option to stay put and just see where they were going to take her. She didn't know how far away land was. She tried to listen for anything, her brother, Duncan or the clashing of weapons but all she heard was the clucking sound of the boat cleaving the water and the gulls on top of them.

"Where are you taking me?" Elissa asked.

"See that boat over'ere?" One of the men answered, "That's Siren's call, that is; our ship. That's where we're going."

Elissa pretended to be looking into the distance ahead of them and nodded in case any of the men were looking at her. She didn't want them to know that she didn't have her sight. Her heart was beating fast and she was trying hard not to cry. She was scared of what they would do to her when they arrived at the boat. She was not looking forward to being on a ship full of men. She started praying.

"Blessed are they who stand before the corrupt and the wicked and do not falter. Blessed at the peacekeepers, the champions of the just…"

"Haha," the men laughed, "listen to her. She's praying!"

"Shut up!" A harsher voice said and slapped Elissa. The hand came out of nowhere and hit the side of her head forcing her to the side.

"I'm… I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm sorry, I won't. I promise. Please don't hit me again." As much as she had been teased by Aidan she had never been physically hit before. She hugged the blanket around her tighter; and continued praying but silently in her head.

It didn't take long before Elissa could hear the sounds of people talking and sails flapping in the air. They had arrived at Siren's call and Elissa started trembling, fearing what would happen to her once they had boarded. The dingy bumped into something hard and there was movement.

"Have you got it?" One man said.

"I got it," another replied, "who is that?"

"A little something we found floating just outside Amaranthine," a man just next to Elissa replied and she twitched when he placed his hand on her thigh.

"I think the captain will like her," another man said.

"And if she doesn't…" the man didn't finish. Elissa understood anyway but held her tongue. She had realized that pleading didn't help.

She was pulled to her feet and pushed forward. She panicked when she realized that they wanted her to climb up on the ship herself. She turned to the side and took a careful step until she felt wood under her hands, she felt around looking for steps or ropes or anything.

"What is the lass doing?" A man asked, "hey! The ladder is here."

Elissa turned her unseeing eyes to the sound of his voice, took a step forward and tripped over one of the benches.

"Gente," a man said as he pulled her, not ungently, to her feet, "the girl _can't_ see."

They turned quiet, even the men on the boat.

"Fuck," a voice said, the one that sounded angry, "what are we going to do with a blind girl? She can't be sold as a slave."

So that was what they wanted. Elissa had somehow known it all along. She didn't want to know what happened to useless slaves.

"Give her here."

Elissa was roughly pushed forward until another pair of hands grabbed her, lifted her up and gave her to another man who was waiting on the boat. There was a slight feeling of vertigo while she was being lifted but when she got to stand on her own two feet she felt better. She just realized how cold she was and she pulled the blanket tighter around her.

"What should we do with her?" A nasal voice asked, "put her with the other slaves?"

"Maybe…"

"Or we could take…"

"We will do no such thing," the angry voice that Elissa recognized from the dingy said, "the captain shall decide."

"I'll fetch her!" _Her?! _ Elissa felt more hopeful, for surely a woman wouldn't leave her at the men's mercy? Then again she was a captain on what appeared to be a slaver vessel. Elissa's heart sank again.

She lifted her head as the men around her silenced and quick steps walked from somewhere on the deck and came closer.

"What's this, then?" A woman said.

"We found her in the water outside Amaranthine, sir."

"Well?" The captain sounded impatient, "just put her with the rest of the lot." There was no movement.

"What is it?" The captain asked again. Elissa couldn't help but wince and turn her face downwards. There was something in the captain's voice that made her really reluctant to disappoint the commandeering woman.

"What?" the woman barked when nobody made a sound.

"She's blind, sir," the man with the nasal voice eventually sound.

The captain sighed.

"She's blind?" The captain said, "ugh, you imbeciles! What are we going to do with a useless slave?"

"Please," Elissa said, thinking she would plead one last time, "please, messere, let me go. I won't tell anyone."

"Shut it," the captain said firmly but there was no anger in her voice, "you're useless for the markets, but I can find you things to do onboard."

Elissa let her tears fall for the first time since falling from the cliff.

"Please," she whispered, "please." But nobody answered; it was as if nobody heard her. Instead a firm hand took hold of her wrist and pulled her forward. The hand was rough and the grip was strong and Elissa understood that it was the captain who was leading her across the ship.


	4. Chapter 4

When they had stopped walking, the captain spun her around and then Elissa heard the sound of a door closing.

"This is the Captain's cabin," the captain said, "this is also where you'll sleep. I doubt that my crew would touch an unwilling woman, they know better than that, but I'm not taking any chances. Here, I will show you around."

The captain took hold of Elissa's shoulders and walked her a few steps forward. She took a hold of Elissa's hand and held it out to the right. It was hard wood, smooth as if carefully polished. Elissa liked it; there was little chance of splinters.

"This is the table," the captain said, "it has two chairs on every side except for the side that is pressed against the starboard side. The few times I eat sitting down, I do it here. Sometimes I invite my first mate to eat with me."

She grabbed Elissa's shoulders again, turned her to the left. Elissa felt her hand being pulled forward once more. This time she touched wood, but the captain also brought her hand over something metallic, and then over parchment.

"This is the desk where I navigate. I'd rather you didn't touch it at all."

"Why show it to me then?" Elissa asked.

The captain sighed.

"I want you to be able to navigate this room and on the ship. It's only fair."

She released the hold of Elissa's arm and started guiding her through the room by her shoulders. The captain counted as they walked forward, Elissa's heart started beating faster when she realized that the captain was doing it for her benefit.

"Three… four…" the captain finished, "here, on the port side are a few trunks. They hold some of my personal possessions, my clothes, some things from my past. I don't think there will be any reason for you to go through them." They took one more step forward.

"Here, right in front of us now, are two big windows…"

Elissa interrupted her.

"Yes, I can see the light."

"Oh?" The captain said, then she continued talking, " well, anyway, it's not here yet but there will be a hammock for you to sleep in. I'll ask one of the men to bring one in later."

"A hammock?" Elissa asked, she had never heard the word before.

"Yes," the captain answered, "a hammock. It's a piece of fabric that hangs from the ceiling so that it kind of… cradles you. Oh either way, you'll see… umm… feel it later."

Elissa felt her shoulders being grabbed again, turned to the left and then turned to the right. The captain grabbed her hand again. This time Elissa felt fabric under her hand.

"This is my bed," the captain said. Then she suddenly let go of Elissa all together. The girl felt strangely cold without the captain's hands on her shoulders.

"Well," the captain said, "can you find your way around the room, do you think?"

Elissa walked forward, counting her steps, she turned and continued counting her steps. When she felt wood under her stretched forward hands she turned around and smiled triumphantly.

"That's the door, am I right?" She asked.

"You're right," the pirate said, "and you should really smile more often, it doesn't make you look half as pathetic as you usually do."

Elissa didn't know if that was a compliment or an insult so she ignored it.

"Where are you going?" She asked instead.

"To Llomerryn," the captain said, her voice coming closer as she moved around the room, "to the slave markets." Her voice sounded annoyed and tired.

"This is a slaver-vessel?" Elissa asked, wanting confirmation.

"It bloody well is not," the captain answered angrily, "Siren's call is a pirate ship!" She sighed and her voice went back to normal, "but for the moment we need to deal in slaves to settle a debt."

"What is going to happen to me?" Elissa asked.

"You will work for me," the captain replied shortly. There was the slight thud on the right of Elissa and then the sound of nails tapping on wood impatiently. Elissa was guessing that the captain had sat down by the navigation table but didn't know her well enough to reach out and feel if her suspicions were right. It would take the girl a few days to learn what the different sounds on the ship meant.

"There isn't much I can do," Elissa said, "why not just release me?"

There was no answer.

"Captain?" Elissa tried again.

" What is your name?" The captain asked instead.

"Elissa," the girl whispered. Her angst was back, it had been temporarily forgotten as the captain had been showing her around the cabin and trying to remember her surroundings had distracted the girl.

"I'm Elissa Cousland, daughter of Bryce Cousland, the Teyrn of Highever," she said, trying to keep her voice steady, "my father will pay you handsomely if you return me to him."

The captain remained completely silent for a few minutes.

"Why were you in the water?" She asked.

"What?" Elissa asked weakly. She couldn't believe that the pirate couldn't just ignore what she had just said.

"I said," the pirate said, "why did my men find you splashing around outside the coast of Amaranthine? I doubt the noble Teyrn would let a blind daughter of his go swimming. In her sleeping gown no less."

It was only then that Elissa remembered what she was wearing. She whimpered, feeling ashamed and realizing that her white night gown must have been completely see-through whilst wet before. She pulled the rough blanket that was still hanging over her shoulders tighter.

"I'll find you something else to wear," the captain said as if reading her thoughts, "but still, tell me. What's happened?"

Elissa sighed. And then she told the captain everything. She told the other woman about the visit from Duncan, how the only world she had known had been attacked. She told her about how she had escaped with Duncan and Aedan and finally how they had been attacked by somebody else and how Elissa had fallen into the sea.

"You poor sweet thing," the captain said when Elissa had finished talking, "you have been through a lot, haven't you?"

"They were going to have me stay with aunt and uncle in Amaranthine," Elissa finished her story with.

"Even though Amaranthine is basically owned by the Howes?" The pirate asked.

"Yes," Elissa said, "Aedan, my twin brother, isn't very smart." She gasped and put her hand in front of her mouth. She couldn't believe what she had just said.

The captain laughed.

"Don't look so shocked," she said, "it's a fair thing to say if it is true." The captain hummed as if thinking deeply.

"I'll make you a deal," she said after a while, "it seems like you have nowhere to go, and even though I have no inclination to actually have a slave of my own I would like a maid. Somebody I can trust to not mess up my things too much. Maybe wash, sew, that type of thing."

"But I have no skills," Elissa exclaimed, "I can't sew. I can't cook. I can't do anything."

"Pfft," the pirate scoffed, "you can learn. Besides, I don't see you having any better offers. I would pay you."

Elissa weighed her options but soon realized she had none to choose from. She had no way of knowing if Aedan and Duncan were alive and if they were, they were probably half way to Ostagar by now. If she was put on land close to Amaranthine, she would either be captured by Howe's men or wind up as a blind beggar. The pirate captain was right, she didn't have any better offers.

"Okay," she said, defeat evident in her voice, "I'll stay."


	5. Chapter 5

Sleeping on Siren's call was not a pleasant experience. Elissa's entire world was reduced to strange sounds and the constant swinging back and forth. The hammock didn't help. The poor girl had to use the bucket that Isabela had prepared for her over five times and when she could make out that dawn was near, she was completely exhausted and drenched in sweat. When she heard the captain stirring she felt ashamed of how she must look and smell. She was a lady usually, not this pathetic excuse of a woman.

"Slept well I see," she heard Isabela say with a chuckle.

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Elissa snapped, her patience at an end, "because I have been attacked, slept on the ground, almost drowned, kidnapped, become a slave and then slept on this hammock which is a poor excuse for a proper bed. I have no way to bathe, you don't have any water that I would consider clean enough to drink, I have nothing to change into. I am tired. I am not feeling well. I…" she turned quiet, suddenly remembering who it was that she was speaking to. Her employer, maybe her owner. Elissa could hear power and strength in the pirate's voice and she did not want to know what it was like when Isabela was angry with you.

Isabela didn't say anything for a long time. Elissa hadn't heard her move either so the girl knew that the pirate was simply looking at her. It was unnerving and a little bit scary.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered eventually, not bearing the silence anymore.

"Don't be," Isabela replied immediately, "all the things you said are true. I'm going to send word for a tub for you, you are positively reeking."

Elissa felt her cheeks burning at Isabela calling her reeking; ladies were not supposed to smell. She felt embarrassed and only managed a weak "thank you" before she heard Isabela leaving and summoning somebody at the door.

The girl sighed and stood up. She was looking forward to getting out of her nightgown. After the captain had showed her around the previous day, they had weighed anchor and started making their way to Llomerryn. Isabela had set-up the hammock for Elissa and then left, leaving the girl to her own devices. Elissa had tried the hammock and then fallen asleep, both physically and emotionally exhausted. She had drifted in and out of sleep the whole day and following night. Now when she was awake, she wished she would have stayed asleep.

"A tub will be brought here in a little bit," Isabela had come back, "and I have some soap from Orlais that I think you'll like. Girls of nobility always… well, I think you'll find it quite to your taste. Ah and here is the water."

Elissa heard Isabela walk away again and the sound of doors opening and something heavy being pulled across the floor. Soon the sound of water being poured into the tub filled the cabin. Elissa started to walk forward, counting the steps just like Isabela had the other day.

"Stop right there, pet," she heard Isabela say and Elissa stopped, waiting.

"Is that enough, sir?" a man's voice said.

"Yes, yes, it'll be fine."

The door closed opened and closed and Elissa understood that she and Isabela were alone again.

"Now, what is it that you need help with?" Isabela asked and grabbed Elissa's hand to gently pull her forward a few steps. She brought Elissa's hand to the edge of the tub.

"Here is the tub," Isabela said, "and here… is the soap." A small round object was placed in Elissa's hand and she brought it up to her nose to smell it.

"Nice, right?" Isabela said.

"Oh yes," Elissa said, the familiar smell of roses comforting her.

"If you get into the tub and start bathing, sweet thing, I'll find you something to wear."

Elissa turned around, hoping that she was no longer facing Isabela and quickly pulled the dirty gown off and threw it on the floor. She hesitated for a heart beat but then she took her small clothes off as well and carefully stepped into the tub. She sank into the water with a content sigh, it was just the perfect temperature but nothing could compare to the feeling of getting clean. She didn't even care if Isabela was still watching her.

The girl grabbed the soap and started washing herself while she heard the opening and closing of, what she guessed, was a trunk.

"So," she heard the pirate say behind her, "as much as you totally have the proper features to just wear boots and a tunic I suppose you want to wear something more… lady like. A dress perhaps?"

Elissa felt herself blushing. She didn't know whether to be offended or touched.

"A dress please," she simply said and hoped that whatever it was that Isabela picked out, wasn't too scandalous, "do you have a towel?"

"Ah, yes, here it is," Isabela said, as if talking to herself, "I knew it was here somewhere."

There was movement and then Elissa felt a calloused hand on her wet arm, her other arm instinctively went over her chest.

"Don't worry, sweet thing," Isabela said calmly, "I've seen female chests before. I'm just trying to help you. Here, stand up." She helped Elissa to her feet with a strong grip on her arm. Then she handed her a towel.

"On the chair to your right I'm hanging the dress and some small clothes," Isabela said as Elissa started drying herself, "I have nothing for you to wear on your feet but we'll fix when we make port. The dress and small clothes are as good as new though! _Only worn once_." The pirate's voice was basically dripping with mischief during the last sentence and Elissa silently wondered who had worn them and when. But as she fingered the clearly expensive material she stopped caring. In a hurry she pulled the small clothes on and the dress over her head. It smelled faintly of roses and Andraste's grace but it was clearly clean. Elissa smiled in content as she spent a few minutes extra drying her hair.

"Better?" Isabela asked.

"Much better," Elissa replied, "thank you."

"You're welcome," Isabela said, "we have a few days to Llomerryn as the wind is not very strong this time of year but there is plenty to do."

"What will you have me do?" Elissa asked, suddenly unsure. She did not feel like she was in danger with the captain in the cabin. But outside that door she knew that there was a boatload of men who were unpredictable and possibly dangerous.

"You need to get settled," Isabela said matter-of-factly, "I have some other business to attend to, but you should walk around the ship, start finding your way around Siren's call."

"What?" Elissa said, "by myself? I can't go by myself. You have to go with me." She heard how she sounded, completely pathetic and for a moment she couldn't breathe. She hated herself, she hated herself for her weakness, her inability to be brave.

She heard the pirate sigh and she lowered her head in shame.

"Look," she said, "I can't always be there to hold your hand and count the steps with you. You need to be able to discover things on your own. None of my men would dare to hurt you while I'm awake and on deck, and if you were to fall into the water, somebody will pick you up."

"You make it sound so easy," Elissa muttered.

"That's because it is easy, sweet thing," Isabela said, "you have two legs, two arms and clearly better hearing than most. You are not a cripple."

"No, but…" Elissa turned quiet. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to explain that she was scared to leave the cabin; that she had never had to discover a place she wasn't familiar with since being born. That the past two days had been so overwhelming that she still felt faint thinking about it. But then a different fire kindled inside of her, a feeling she didn't know she had been capable of feeling. It was a type of determination. She wasn't a cripple.

"Okay," she said, trying to keep her voice steady, "okay.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Elissa felt frightened as she stepped outside the cabin. But the cold salty breeze that hit her made her feel instantly better; as ventilated as Isabela's cabin was, nothing could substitute the fresh air on deck.

"Ma'am." She heard a voice to her right and nodded in the direction as a greeting. She tried to tell herself that she had nothing to fear, that she belonged to the crew now. That this was, for now, her home. She tried to remember not knowing her way around the Highever castle but she couldn't. She had never before needed to find her way around a new place. Elissa found a sudden stab of anger at her parents for making her so utterly unprepared for the world.

She tried to walk forward, her hands stretched out in front of her. It was scary and she had no idea how a boat was organised. She knew words such as mast, deck and hull, she remembered them from the servants' pirate stories but she didn't actually know where anything was placed.

"Are you alright, lass?" She heard a gentle voice say.

"The captain wants me to learn to find my way on board," she said truthfully.

The man laughed.

"Aye, that's the captain alright," he said, "she feels the need to make sure that everyone is independent. If you want I could show you around."

"If it's not too much trouble?"

"Not at all, not at all," the man said, "I'm taking my morning walk so having a beautiful woman accompany me will just make my day better. If you put your hand on my arm?" Elissa reached out and touched a surprisingly hairy arm.

"Sorry 'bout that," the man said, "when you're as old as I am your hair falls off your head and lands in other places." He kept chatting as they were walking.

"Well, this is the main deck. You came from the Captain's cabin, if you had gone to the left or right instead of straight forward you could have gone up to the quarter deck by using the stairs on either side. It's from the quarter deck that the boat is steered, either by the captain 'erself or the first mate." They continued walking forward although the man did pull her to the side occasionally.

"We've now passed the main mast, you've got to remember though, the fore boom which is attached to the fore mast is slightly too low on Siren's call, so make sure to never hold your hands up or stand on tip toe. Especially when you have no sight. You have no way to see if the…. Egghart, here! … where was I? Oh yes, especially if you can't see it coming. I have no doubt however that you'll learn to sense the movements of the boat better. I certainly did."

"You're blind?" Elissa asked.

"Oh maker no," the man replied, "but I managed to learn it even with my sight holding me back." Elissa shook her head. She did not understand this strange man.

"Who are you?" She asked instead, hoping she wasn't too rude.

"I am Piaget," the man said, "cook and occasional healer on the ship. The Captain has an expensive taste for Orlesian food."

"You're from Orlais?" Elissa asked, Piaget, despite his name, did not sound Orlesian at all when he talked. He sounded Ferelden.

"Oh no," he exclaimed, "I am not. At least I don't think so. I am told my father was, and my name definitely is. But I can cook, and whatever it is our good captain fancies I am at her beck and call. Anything she wants, I can recreate."

"But it's through magic?" Elissa asked.

"Magic, cooking… what's the difference anyway?"

Elissa didn't know what to answer to that. They had made a sharp turn at what Piaget called the forecastle deck and they were now making their way back.

"Ah, here we are," he said after a while, "we're in front of the door to the captain's cabin, now if we go to the left… yes, here is the stairs up to the quarter deck which you can investigate later on your own but right here is another door. If you could help me open it?" Elissa reached forward curiously, grasped the wooden handle and turned it around.

"Thank you," Piaget said, "usually I manage but with my only hand occupied..."

"You only had one hand?" Elissa asked, "why? What happened to the other?"

She felt a warm stump of flesh touch her hand that was resting in the crook of Piaget's other arm and she almost pulled back. It hadn't felt good and she could only imagine how horribly it looked.

"I was born this way," Piaget said and Elissa felt him shrug.

"But how do you fight?" She asked as they went through the door and started going down a steep set of stairs, "how can you be a pirate?"

"Dear girl," Piaget chuckled, "do you really think that old Piaget fights?"

"No," Elissa admitted.

"That's right, "Piaget continued, "I don't. And I never have. The dear captain was looking for a cook and I got the job despite me being an apostate and…"

Elissa quickly pulled her arm from him. _An apostate!_ Elissa felt stupid, she should have known. Piaget was a mage outside the circle, of course he was an apostate. It had just taken her a long time to connect the dots.

"What is it, lass?" He asked, then truth dawned on him. "Oh, the apostate thing? Really? You're on a pirate vessel, love. I don't think I'm the worst you'll meet."

Elissa tried to forget about blood magic and how dangerous mages could be. She had been told from an early age that "at least she wasn't a mage", even if she was a cripple. Piaget seemed to be a genuinely nice person and Elissa wanted to follow her instincts and just forget about everything she had been taught. She decided to go with Piaget for now but continue being on her guard. She reached out and found his arm waiting for her.

He remained quiet for a moment but then he pretended like nothing had happened and he babbled on.

"This is the bulkhead," he said, "it's been divided to provide a kitchen and healer's area for me, and then there's the crew's quarters of course. Then there is the hold which you can access through a door and also the hatch on deck." Piaget didn't say anything else about the hold but it didn't matter. Elissa knew that that's where the slaves where.

They continued on and after a while Piaget brought them to a halt.

"This is where I work," he said, "most of our stock is dried and salted, stored in those barrels over there. But here is still where I prepare most meals. It's also where the crew goes whenever they are in need of healing. Make yourself familiar with the surroundings if you like. There are some knives but otherwise there is nothing that can hurt you."

Elissa smiled in his direction, mumbled a 'thank you' and then went forward with her hands. Searching and feeling she could eventually make out two tables, some barrels, some shelves holding spices and also an apothecary. Tinctures, salves, potions.

"You have so many things," Elissa said in awe, the girl didn't have an ounce of magic in her blood but she could sense the knowledge and power that Piaget probably possessed only on his shelves.

"Oh sorry," Piaget said suddenly, "I forgot and nodded. Yes, I have many things. I was wise once upon a time and stocked up while I could."

"While you could?" Elissa asked.

"I'm old," Piaget said, "I'm old, and working with only one hand is getting harder and harder and…"

"But you're a mage!"

Piaget laughed.

"I'm a very bad mage," he said slowly, "I can manage some light healing, I can make ingredients dance under my hand. But that's about it. I'm harmless. That's why I was never sent to the circle. With eleven of us my poor mother, maker bless her, never even noticed that she had given birth to a mage. I was already an adult when I accidently healed one of the bears my brother had killed."

"That's awfully strange," Elissa said, "I have never heard of anything like it."

"I wouldn't believe it myself," Piaget said, "if it hadn't happened to me."

Elissa turned away from him and instead lifted up one of the sweet smelling bottles.

"Syrup," she said, smiling and enjoying the familiar smell.

"Oh yes," Piaget said, "one of the captain's favourites. She pours it over fruit." Elissa put the bottle down. There were fast steps coming closer and even though the girl hadn't been on the ship for long she recognized them as Isabela's.

"Captain," Piaget said and Elissa could almost hear the smile in his voice. She didn't know Piaget's whole story yet, but she could sense that Isabela had saved him somehow and that that had made him very grateful to her.

"Piaget," the captain said, "and Elissa. Great, just the people I wanted to see. I have been thinking, Piaget, if it wouldn't be good for you to have some assistance. Wouldn't Elissa be perfect? We will be in Llomerryn tomorrow morning but after that I'm sure it would benefit you both."

Elissa smiled at the prospect, she liked listening to Piaget and maybe he would teach her to make salves and tinctures. She had always wanted to learn handiworks after all, maybe this was her chance.


End file.
